


Into Stone

by jayket



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, I gave blake an oc brother but he's not... in it that much, Slow Burn, blake can draw, idk man, oh and blake can turn people into stone, yang cant climb trees, yangs plane crashes on blakes land
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:47:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24295318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jayket/pseuds/jayket
Summary: “Wait!” Yang said, stopping the girl in her tracks as she turned slightly to look at her. “What uh.. What’s your name?”The girl turned her body fully in the direction of Yang, her chest puffing up to make herself look bigger as she planted her spear in the ground with a thud. Yang was definitely not intimidated.“My name is Blake Belladonna, and my family and I are the guardians of this land.”orYang's a journalist whose plane crashes in the middle of the jungle, and apparently, on Blakes land.orBlake and her family are the guardians of the jungle and have the ability to turn people into stone.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long
Comments: 30
Kudos: 172





	1. Chapter 1

Yang brought her machete down with a grunt, cutting through the thick jungle ahead of her. 

It was just her luck. Of course she had to crash-land in the thickest part of the jungle. Now she was wandering aimlessly, trying to find any sign of human civilization, with only her machete and her water bottle tied to her hip. It was just supposed to be a scouting mission, she wasn't prepared for this.

Yang stopped to wipe the sweat from her brow, it was so hot. She had tied her long-sleeve explorers button up around her waist a long time ago, leaving her arms exposed in her tank top. 

The journalist was lucky that she had many years of flying experience under her belt, or else that crash-landing wouldn't have been so successful.

_ Well _ , Yang thought,  _ as successful as a crash-landing could be. _ Her plane was totaled, it would never fly again, and unfortunately for her, the radio had gotten completely smashed in the process as well. 

Yang had been flying over this region to see if she could gain any information on the weird happenings here, before her plane jolted and alarms started blaring. Engine failure. 

“Shit, shit, shit!” Yang said, frantically flipping the switches above her head to divert the power to the one remaining engine. 

It wasn't enough, she was losing altitude fast. She had no other choice but to deploy the landing gear, not that it would do much, but the parachute that had been deployed out of the back would hopefully slow her descent. 

Seeing the top of the canopy rapidly closing in, she braced herself for impact. Her plane crashed through the tops of the trees, making Yang's head smash into the control wheel. The plane's left wing then hit a thick tree, sending it spiraling towards the ground. Yang blacked out before she landed.

Yang shook her head of the memory and refocused. She looked around to try and get her bearings with no success. Everything looked the same in every direction. Yang felt the beginnings of panic swell in her chest, it'll be dark soon. She took a deep breath to try and quell her uneasiness, and started in the same direction she'd been going. East. That’s the way she flew here from after all, and plus, she didn't really see a better option. 

Yang hiked for the better part of an hour, cutting through leaves and vines when they got too thick. Her boots crunching on the forest floor as she walked. 

_ I should start looking for food, _ she thought,  _ Or maybe shelter? Yea shelter would be nice.  _ Yang raised her hand to her forehead to feel the bump that had formed there and winced. She definitely had a concussion. 

Yang, distractedly, cut through the next layer of vines, coming suddenly face to face with another human being. She screamed loudly and promptly fell on her ass, raising her machete in front of her defensively. 

Chest heaving, she looked closely at the other person before furrowing her eyebrows. “Wait a minute.” She muttered, and got up to her feet. That wasn't a person... 

It was a statue.

____________

A scream echoed through the jungle and the girl shot up from her spot on the branch she had been relaxing on, high in the treetops. Her ears twitching on top of her head, trying to identify what direction it came from. 

Her heart raced with worry.

_ Intruder. _

She grabbed her spear and took off through the trees towards the sound.

____________

  
  


_ That's weird.  _ Yang thought, looking around as if to find the answer as to why there's a random statue in the middle of the jungle. 

Finding nothing, she turned her head to look at it more closely. It's so detailed, realistic. It made the hairs on the back of Yang's neck stand up. She wished she had her camera. 

Instead, she pulled a little notebook out of her pocket along with a small pencil. She needed to take note of this, she was a journalist after all. 

After taking some time to write about the statute and its detail, she pocketed the notebook and grabbed her machete again. Yang took one more look at the stone figure before continuing on. 

Another twenty minutes passed before she caught sight of another statute off to her left. 

_ What is going on?  _ This one looked completely different from the first one she saw. This one looked female. It had its arms out in front of it as if it was blocking an attack. 

Yang was about to make her way over to the statue to get a better look, when her feet were kicked out from underneath her. Her back hit the ground roughly and before she could even think about raising her machete, there was a foot on her wrist keeping the weapon pinned to the ground and something sharp pressing against her neck.

“Who are you?” A voice said.

Later, Yang will look back on this moment impressed. She had no idea she was being followed, this person, whoever they were, moved through the forest so silently she didn't even know they were there until she was at their mercy. 

“Please don't kill me!” Yang's eyes were shut as she begged, “My plane crashed in this jungle and I'm lost, I have no idea where I am!” 

The pressure on her neck increased, any harder and it would break skin. “Who are you?” The voice said again, firmer this time, but not louder.

“My name is Yang Xiao Long,” She tried again, “I'm a journalist who was flying over this area to gain information about the strange happenings here before my plane crash-landed.”

That was obviously the wrong thing to say because the machete was kicked from her hand and a knee was brought down onto her chest, knocking the wind out of her. The pressure on her neck not letting up. 

“You are trespassing on our lands, you are  _ not  _ welcomed here.”

Yang cracked her eyes open. A girl was kneeling on her chest, holding a spear to her throat. She was tan and wore a mask that covered the top half of her face from the eyes up. She had long black hair that was pulled back into intricate braids. But the most curious thing however, was the extra set of ears the girl had perched on top of her head that were currently pinned back defensively. 

“Look,” Yang started, more calmly this time, trying to ease the girl on top of her, “I-I’m not here to cause trouble or hurt anyone, I'm just trying to find a way back home.”

The pressure on her neck eased up a fraction. “You’re not a hunter?” The girl asked. 

“No! No, I'm here by accident, I swear.” 

“Then why did you say you’re here to gain information, what do you want with my family.” 

“Your family? You live out here?”

The girl said nothing, waiting for Yang to answer her question.

Yang took a breath, she needed to tread carefully. “Apparently, the people who enter this area of the jungle never come back. There have been over thirty cases of travelers who have gone missing in the past twenty-five years.”

“Travelers?!” the girl snarled, “They were murderers and thieves. Your kind only comes here to hurt this forest and my family, you shouldn't be here.”

Yang's eyes widen. “You know what happened to them?”

The girl tilted her head in confusion, “You really don't know who we are?”

Bewildered by everything going on, Yang raised her voice, “No!!”

In an instant the spear was lifted from her neck and a hand was covering her mouth. 

“Shut up, you're being too loud.” The girl was leaning in close. Close enough that Yang could see the little freckles on the girl's cheek as she turned her head to look around.

The girl turned her head back to look at Yang through masked eyes. “There is a village about an eight days walk from here.  _ Your kind  _ set up camp there a few months back.” She spat out the words like it left a bad taste in her mouth. “I can take you there but  _ only  _ if you do as I say and keep your mouth shut. This forest is cruel to those who do not know it.” 

With wide eyes, Yang nodded, and the girl slowly lifted her hand from her mouth and got up to her feet. She picked up Yang's machete and tied it to her own waist. “We have to move quickly, it'll be dark soon.” She said, already walking away.

Yang scrambled up to follow her, “Where are we going?” 

“I have a shelter built not far from here,” She said, keeping a brisk pace. “But, with you making so much noise there's no doubt the forest already knows you're here. We have to hurry.”

“Wait!” Yang said, stopping the girl in her tracks as she turned slightly to look at her. “What uh.. What’s your name?”

The girl turned her body fully in the direction of Yang, her chest puffing up to make herself look bigger as she planted her spear in the ground with a thud. Yang was definitely not intimidated. 

“My name is Blake Belladonna, and my family and I are the guardians of this land.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what up i'm back with chapter 2

“Could you pick up the pace?”

Yang looked at the back of the girls head in disbelief. Blake was practically running through the jungle ahead of her, silently, might she add. 

Yang was trying to walk quietly, she was. But her dumb feet kept stepping on a crunchy leaf or a little stick every time she stepped. Maybe she should take her shoes off and go barefoot like Blake. Yang shook her head, remembering the inch long thorn the girl pulled from her foot a few minutes ago, she didn't even wince. Yang cringed at the thought. 

“We’ve been walking for like 45 minutes, are we almost there? You said your camp wasn't far.”

Even though Blake was turned away, Yang was pretty sure she just rolled her eyes. “It's not.  _ You _ just make too much noise if I go any faster.” She said accusingly. 

“Well  _ I’m _ sorry,” Yang said sarcastically, “I’ve never actually done this before you know. It's not like I live out here, like you do apparently.” Blake said nothing, and continued forward, a good five or six paces in front of Yang. 

Yang wasn't sure what to make of the other girl. On one hand, she said she knew what happened to those missing travelers, but on the other, she offered Yang a way out of this jungle, no doubt saving her life in the process. Yang knew the probability of surviving the night on her own was not good. 

They walked in somewhat uncomfortable silence for a few minutes before Yang spoke up, trying to ease the tension. “So you said your whole family lives out here?” Again, Blake said nothing, so Yang tried a different approach. 

“This village you’re taking me too, you said they set up camp there a few months back?”

Blake hummed in response. 

“Do you know who they are?” At the question, Blake nodded but didn’t slow her pace.

“They call themselves the Schnee Logging Company or SLC.”

“Ah,” Yang was all too familiar with that name, she was friends with the heiress after all, “Yea, I've heard of them.”

Blake nodded. “The largest logging company in the world.” She sounded bitter. 

“Why are they so far out in the jungle? Their nearest logging site isn't even close to here.”

She was quiet for a moment before shrugging, “Because this is where we are.”

Yang looked at her curiously. She knows Blake said that she and her family were the guardians of this land or whatever, but what does that even mean? Yang had no idea. There was obviously something… different about the girl walking in front of her, if the cat ears on top of her head were any indication. And Yang didn't want to be rude by asking the wrong question but… she had so many. The journalist in her was itching to get the full story. 

Yang was about to open her mouth to ask another question, when Blake cut her off.

“We’re here.” 

Yang raised an eyebrow and looked around. “We’re where?” She saw nothing in their vicinity that could pass for shelter.

Hearing a small grunt, Yang looked back to Blake, mouth falling open in surprise. Blake, spear strapped to her back, was scaling the side of a massive tree trunk with ease.

“Hey woah! What are you doing?!” 

Blake looked down at her from her spot on the tree, a good three feet above Yang's head now. 

“The shelter’s up here.” She said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“I can’t climb like that!” Yang yelped. 

“That's really not my problem. If you stay on ground level during the night, you  _ will _ die. I already told you, the forest isn't kind to those it doesn’t know, so either start climbing or stay there. Up to you, but if you die you can't say I didn't warn you.” Blake's voice was getting further away as she climbed, disappearing behind thick branches and leaves. Yang had to go to the base of the tree trunk to keep her eyes on her. She had clearly done this many times before. Blake hoisted herself onto the first thick branch that could hold her body weight and looked down at Yang, who was now about 15 feet below her, slightly amused at the look she was giving her.

Yang took a breath, “Ok. I can do this.”

Walking up to the tree, Yang put her hands on the first few bumps she could find and started to lift herself off the ground, feet scrambling beneath her before finding a small indent in the tree to jam her toes into. Using the leverage she now had from her feet being locked into place, she pushed herself further up the tree, right hand releasing from where it was to find a new hold. Why was she already breathing so hard? Finding a decent spot for her hand to grab, she started to move her left foot.

_ This is kinda fun,  _ Yang thought grinning,  _ I feel like a monkey. _

Her left hand was next. Concentrating hard, she reached up to find another spot.

“I wouldn't grab there if I were you.”

Yang startled, she had forgotten Blake was sitting a few feet above her head, watching her.

“Could you not, I'm trying to concentrate.” She said, still grabbing at the spot Blake told her not to. She could do this on her own. Gripping the small handhold, Yang started to pull herself up. She got about half way, arm bent at a 90 degree angle, before her fingers started to lose their grip. She frantically tried to correct her mistake by lowering herself again and straightening her arm back down the tree, but she came down way too fast. Her own body weight being used against her as her fingers slipped off the grip anyway. Yang hit the ground with a thud and groaned. 

She looked up from her spot on the ground at Blake, who was still sitting pretty on the branch above her. She had a hint of a smirk on her face but said nothing.

Yang narrowed her eyes, “Your silence speaks volumes.” 

“Are you going to get up?” She sounded amused.

“I need a minute, this is the second time I’ve had the wind knocked out of me today and not to mention I was literally in a plane crash.”

Blake's voice was hesitant, “Look, I know you're hurting, that cut on your forehead looks pretty awful, but you really do have to get up here. We won't have any light soon.”

Blake was right, the sun had already set and the light in the sky was getting dimmer by the second. 

“I’ll guide you, come on.”

Yang nodded and got herself up off the ground and walked to the tree again. 

“Ok, put your hands where you first had them... Good, now lift yourself a little until your right foot can get into that hold.” Yang did as she was told. “Now instead of reaching with your left hand, get your left foot underneath you first so you can push yourself higher.”

It took a second to find the foot hold Blake was talking about. When she did, she used the leverage to push herself past the grip that made her slip and to a much better one about a foot above it. 

“Careful, now with that grip, pull yourself up while moving your right foot underneath you again.”

They continued this way for a few minutes, Blake giving her guidance on where to put her limbs and Yang listening, following instructions.

With a final heave, Yang pulled herself up onto the branch next to Blake. Her whole body hurt.

“Come this way,” Blake said, “It's around the other side.” 

Since they were higher up, the branches were closer together, making it easier to maneuver around to the backside of the tree. When Yang reached the other side she saw Blake standing on a thick branch, at least 5 feet wide, and next to her lay a little cot made up of grass and leaves. She had her arm in a small tree hollow that was carved into the trunk, searching for something.

She made a sound of affirmation and pulled out a small bag.

Sitting down on the makeshift bed she looked at Yang, who still hadn't moved, “Aren't you hungry?” She asked, pulling what looked like a mango out of the bag. 

Yang's stomach growled as if it were answering Blakes question. 

She made her way to Blake and sat down next to her, taking the fruit from her hand.  “Thank you.” She peeled the skin off the fruit like she’d seen Blake doing and bit into it. She moaned, she has never tasted a better mango in her life. “Wow this is so good!” Yang said, happily taking another bite.

The corners of Blakes mouth turned up slightly as she dug into her own.

They ate silently, listening to the sounds of the jungle around them. Yang took this time to study the girl sitting next to her. She was taller than the average girl, probably around 5’9” or 5’10”. Still shorter than Yang herself but, being 6 foot, Yang was used to being taller than most people. Yang's eyes drifted to the top of her head again. Those ears were so fascinating, twitching and moving whenever they heard a sound close by. It's like they were moving on their own, like Blake was always unconsciously listening to what was nearby. A trait that was no doubt second nature because of her many years living in the jungle. 

“Ask if you want to.”

Yang's eyes jumped back to Blakes masked face, caught.

“I...uh.. sorry I didn't mean to-”

Cutting her off, Blake spoke up, “I know I'm different, but I am not ashamed. Ask what's on your mind.” 

Taking a breath to calm her nerves,  _ why am I so nervous,  _ “The ears on top of your head.” Yang started dumbly, Blake just raised an eyebrow, waiting for a question. “W-why do you have an extra set of ears on your head?” She tried again.

Blake finished chewing then tossed the pit of the mango over the edge of the branch. 

“The forest gave them to me.”

Yang blinked. That… made no sense.

Seeing Yang's confused expression she continued, “I was born like this, so was the rest of my family. We’ve been like this for generations. As guardians, we need to protect this land. The forest gifted my ancestors the ability to hear and see better than an average human, but in order to do that…” She gave her ears a slight wiggle, making Yang glance at them again before looking back at her. 

“You talk about this jungle like it's a living being, like it can think for itself.” Yang said, curiosity in her voice.

“That's because it can,” Blake said easily with a shrug. “however, you're thinking too narrowly.” 

“How so?”

Blake looked at her, expression hard to read under her mask.

“It… it's like everything in this jungle can communicate. Every tree, every plant, every animal, everything.” Yang could tell it was hard for her to put into words. “The plants and animals of this forest communicate with something bigger than words. It’s more like… energy. Like everything in the forest knows what's best for it. It will do whatever it needs to to survive as a whole.” Blake looked out into the night. “Like.. if a certain species was being over-hunted, it would mess with the jungles ecosystem. The predators don’t need something to tell them to stop hunting that species, they just  _ know  _ not to until the time is right again. Energy and balance.”

“I… think I understand.” Yang said hesitantly, still not really getting it. 

Blake stood on the branch to lean against the trunk, crossing her arms and sighing, “I've never really had to explain it before, it's just something that I've always known.” 

Blake took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing, “Think about it like this. If a threat came into this jungle, say, an infestation of termites that were eating all the good trees in an area, that would obviously not be good for the well-being of the forest, correct?”

“Right.”

“Right, so the forest, as a whole, knows this and sends a necessary counter force, anteaters, or whatever else that may be.” Blake turned her gaze back to Yang. “There is no good or bad, just balance. We will do everything possible to maintain that.”

“Huh.” Yang said thoughtfully, she sounded so sure about what she was saying. Yang wishing she could take out her notebook to write this down. 

“And that's what companies like the SLC don't understand, to have balance is to have peace.” She shook her head. “They're taking too much land.” Blake whispered, almost as if she were saying it to herself. 

Seeing the girl upset, Yang changed the topic. “So where do you and your family come into this?” 

“The forest needs us, just like we need it. It gives us shelter, food, and in return we give it protection. Most of the time, we are the counter force that fights against outside threats, ones that the forest can't handle on its own. That’s why we are here, we are the forests’ solution to provide balance. My family and I respect the forest wholly and unwavering, so the forest does the same for us. We protect the forest and in return the forest does not treat us as hostile, and all its animals know that too.” 

“Woah, so you won’t get attacked by any wildlife here? Not even like a  jaguar or a panther?”

“No, quite the opposite actually.”

Yang hummed in response. She knows there's probably more to that answer but she's honestly too exhausted to take in anymore information. Looks like the adrenaline was finally wearing off. 

Her brain hurt. And her body hurt. Everything hurt actually. 

_ Of course everything hurts you idiot, you were in a plane crash not six hours ago.  _ Her brain helpfully supplied.  _ Oh, right. _

Blake must've noticed her fatigue because she speaks up, “Go ahead and rest, I'll take first watch.” 

“Thanks.” Yang said, but Blake was already leaping up though the branches, spear in hand, most likely getting a better vantage point higher in the tree.

Yang's body ached as she laid her head on the cot. The quiet sounds of the jungle quickly lulling her to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> constructive criticism is appreciated :) still new to this whole writing thing


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so blake belladonna was confirmed as bi yesterday and i'm handling it very well. *cries for 11 hours straight*

It was warm. Blake sat on one of the branches near the top of the tree, keeping an eye on the forest. Not that it was very difficult, another gift from the forest was the ability to see in the dark. 

It had been 5 hours since her companion fell asleep, Yang. Blake wondered what her name would feel like coming out of her mouth, but she didn’t dare try. 

Normally, Blake wouldn’t have to keep watch when she was by herself, she could sleep in the trees unbothered, the forest would never harm her after all. But she wasn’t by herself anymore, and this situation definitely wasn't normal. With the other girl around Blake didn't know how the forest would react. So, she was keeping watch.

Blake still isn't sure why she offered to help Yang. Normally when she runs into _her kind_ in this forest, they are Hunters. Only here to find and kill her and her family. 

This girl didn’t act like a Hunter though. Not even close. Hunters knew exactly why they were there: to collect her head and deliver it to Jacques Schnee, earning the hefty bounty that would come with it. They would tell her who sent them and what they were going to do, hoping to weaken her with fear, threatening her mother and her father too, taunt her about… She would turn their bodies to stone soon after. They were always so arrogant. 

And Yang.. she didn't even know where she was when Blake found her. Of course, she could be lying, but Yang wears her emotions on her face. It wasn't hard to see the genuine confusion and panic on her features when Blake had her pinned to the ground.

Plus, if she tried anything, Blake would be ready this time. She wouldn't be tricked again. Not after Adam. 

Blake sighed and removed her mask. She placed it on the branch next to her then rubbed her eyes with her hands. She was getting tired, but there was no way she would put herself in a vulnerable position in front of the other girl. She’ll wake her up an hour before sunrise.

Blake thought for a moment before getting up and making her way back down the tree towards Yang. She crouched a couple branches above her sleeping figure, studying her frame with unmasked eyes for the first time. Her features soft and relaxed while she slept. She was tall, and where Blake had lean, toned muscles, built for agility, Yang had big and bulky muscles, built for strength. She was still wearing her tank-top, so Blake could see the outlines of the girl's arm muscles even when she was asleep.

Blake felt something in her chest, but smashed it down before she could identify what it was. 

_Stay focused._

Blake shook her head and climbed up the tree again. She would wake her in the morning, until then, Blake sat with her back against the tree and waited.

_____________

“Gaaah!” 

Yang startled awake when she felt something tap against her head. She flailed her arms trying to fight against the attacker that dare poke her forehead.

“Stop, _stop_ ,” Yang felt her wrists being locked together in a firm hold, “you’re going to knock yourself off the branch.”

“Wha..?” Yang said sleepily, as she felt her wrists being released.

“Get up, it's going to be light soon. We should start moving.”

“Where am I?” Yang was slow to get her bearings. Groggily, she sat up and looked around with tired eyes. She saw Blake in front of her, watching.

_Blake_.

Everything came rushing back. The plane crash, the hours of hiking through the jungle, getting jumped by Blake, climbing the tree, learning about the jungle.

Her head hurt.

_Oh right._ “It probably wasn't a good idea for me to sleep on a concussion.” Yang said, rubbing her eyes. “Good thing it's not a server one.”

Blake hummed. “Come on, it's time to go.”

“Damn, can't I wake up first?”

“You’re already awake.”

“Yeah I know, but not like-” Yang sighed and started to stand, “nevermind.”

Now, if Yang thought climbing up the tree was hard, boy was she in for it with the climb back down. When they got back around to the front of the tree, Blake had simply just hopped off the branch, that was still 15 feet in the air Yang wanted to point out. She still had Yangs machete tied to her hip and her spear strapped to her back.

With wide eyes she carefully inched her way to the edge of the branch and looked down.

Blake was checking their surroundings. Even though it was still mostly dark outside, Yang guessed that it wasn't a problem for the other girl. 

Apparently satisfied with what she found, Blake turned her head to look back up at Yang.

“It's clear, you can come down now.”

“For sure, for sure,” Yang said nodding quickly, trying not to show how nervous she was about the big drop in front of her. She backed up a few steps and took a deep breath. How was she supposed to do this?

_Fuck it._ Yang thought, and called down to Blake. “Hey, um, do you think you can guide me like you did yesterday? Not really in the mood to break an arm or something falling from this tree.”

Blake nodded, “Just come sit on the edge of the branch closest to the tree trunk.”

Yang did as she was told, “Ok first get your feet on those foot holds a little below you…. Now grab onto that tree hollow with your left hand, it's pretty sturdy so you can lower yourself down with it.”

Yang was about two thirds of the way down, Blake still giving her instruction, when her foot slipped off the next hold, the morning dew making the wood slick. 

Yang let out a shriek as she fell from the tree a second time.

Instead of landing on the forest floor like Yang expected, something broke her fall. Something that was now groaning in pain beneath her.

“....Ow.” Blake said. “You're heavier than you look.” Yang thought she heard a small smile in the other girls voice, but couldn't be sure.

Yang laughed and started to get up off the other girl. “Well thanks anyway for breaking my fall, like I said I don't want any broken bo-” Yang cut herself off in shock. When she turned back around, it seemed that Blakes mask had gotten knocked off her face when Yang landed on her. Blake wasn't facing her fully, so Yang could only see her side profile. It was still kind of dark outside but Yang's breath still caught in her throat. She was… beautiful. 

Blake seemed to pick up on her silence, a slow realization coming over her face before she whipped herself away from Yang and slapped a hand over her eyes. 

“D-don’t look,” Her voice was wobbly and quiet, “....please.” 

Yang looked at Blakes trembling figure. She seemed to shrink into herself on the forest floor. It made Yang's heart ache. She looked around, finding the girls mask a few feet away.

Picking up the mask, Yang made her way back to Blake, who was still facing away from her. This close Yang could hear her breathing heavily, as if she was trying to calm herself down. 

“Hey…” Yang said softly, and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, only to have it immediately smacked away.

“Don't touch me.” Blake growled, her voice doing a complete one-eighty from the last time she spoke. She shuffled several feet away from Yang, her hand still covering her face. 

“Ok, ok, I'm sorry. I won't touch you.” Yang kept her voice at a low volume. “Just… reach your hand out, I have your mask.”

There was a tense couple of seconds before Blake slowly reached out a hand. Yang could see that it was shaking.

As gently as she could, Yang placed the mask into the girl's open palm, only to have it ripped away as the other girl frantically put it back over her eyes. Once Blake had the mask back on, she stayed sitting on the forest floor, head in her hands, taking deep breaths. 

Yang didn't know what to do with herself so she backed away from the girl to…. to go study that tree over there! Yes, that very interesting tree over that way. 

After a few minutes of studying the bark on the tree, Yang heard Blake get up to her feet, and, as if nothing had happened, said, “Come on this way, we shouldn't stay in one spot for very long.”

Yang, who had no idea how to respond to.. any of that, just nodded.

“Lead the way.”

_____________

_Stupid._ Blake chided herself about the way she reacted earlier. _Stupid, stupid._

They’ve been walking through the jungle in silence for about an hour now. The sun making its way fully in the sky. 

Blake was grateful that the other girl didn’t bring up what happened with her mask earlier. Blake herself couldn't even explain it. As a guardian, Blake was supposed to wear her mask when facing enemies or threats so as to not reveal herself, but… Yang wasn't a threat was she? So why couldn't she bring herself to take it off? Blake wasn't sure. Maybe it was because the forest hadn’t done anything to acknowledge the other girl's presents yet. If the forest trusted her, then Blake would too, but the forest had been strangely quiet about the matter. Maybe it was waiting for Blake to make a decision first. 

Or maybe she didn't want to take her mask off because the last person who saw her without it was Adam. Blake bit her lip and shook her head, refusing to let her brain go down that path. 

Blake glanced at Yang who was following behind her. She was keeping up her pace surprisingly, even if it was a bit clumsy. She still made a lot of noise as she walked. 

Every once and awhile, Yang's hair would get stuck on a branch or a vine, yanking her back with a pained grunt. Blake tilted her head curiously. 

_____________

“Why is your hair not pinned back?”

Yang jumped, she hadn’t expected Blake to talk to her, not after what happened this morning. Yang looked up from the ground and to the other girls face. 

“It keeps getting caught on things, it's slowing you down.”

“Oh, uh, I don’t have a hair tie.” Yang said plainly. 

Yang tensed when Blake was suddenly right next to her, examining her hair, running her hands through it lightly. Yang felt her cheeks warm. That wasn't the worst feeling.

“Um.” Yang's voice was tight due to the proximity of the other girl.

Blake removed her hands and nodded determinedly. “I will braid it tonight.” It was a statement more than it was a question. She started to walk away, but stopped to look at Yang again, as if remembering her manners, and asked, “If.. you want, that is.”

“Yea! Yea, sure, I don't mind.” Yang's voice was a little _too_ loud. She was definitely still blushing. 

Blake nodded again, searching her face, they were only still about 2 feet from each other. It made Yang blush harder. Then, Blake swiveled on her heel and continued through the jungle ahead of her. 

Yang cleared her throat and scrambled for her water bottle. 

After giving herself a few minutes to compose herself, Yang spoke up again. “Do you braid your own hair?”

Blake glanced at her, “Yes. I learned when I was very young.”

“It looks nice, who taught you?”

“My… mother taught me.”

“Awe, that's sweet, what's she like?”

“She..” Blake's voice was soft, “She is very kind.” Yang couldn't tell if Blake was sad or happy when she said it. 

“Does she know you're out here with me? Wouldn't want you to get in trouble or anything,” Yang laughed. 

“No, she doesn’t.” 

Yang was about to ask why not, but walked right into Blakes back before she could, giving a quiet “oof.” 

“Hey wha-”

Blake put her hand up to silence the other girl. The ears on her head were perked up and moving around quickly. 

Yang looked around too, suddenly feeling very uneasy. She looked back to Blake who was still looking out in front of them. 

Yang saw Blakes left ear turn first, then her whole head followed. Masked eyes staring at the bushes to their left. 

Her voice was barely above a whisper, “Behind me. Now.” 

Yang didn't need to be told twice, getting behind the other girl and backing up until her back hit a tree. Her heart was pounding. In front of her, Blake had taken the spear off her back and now had it off to her side. Her body was shifted defensively in front of her, but Yang noticed that she didn't have her spear out in front of her aggressively. 

A minute passed, and Yang was about to speak up to ask what the hell was happening, before she heard the bushes in front of them rustle. 

Yang's heart leapt into her throat when a pitch black panther slinked out of the bushes and in front of Blake. Its yellow eyes glancing at Blake before locking its gaze onto Yang. A small whimper made its way out of her throat.

Blake did not raise her weapon, but moved more in front of Yang, passively blocking the panthers way. 

“She's not here to hurt us, she just needs to get home and I'm taking her there, I promise.” 

The panther was looking at Blake in the eyes, like it could understand what she was saying. Yang's heart hadn't slowed down. They held their gaze for much longer than Yang expected, even though it was probably only about 20 seconds. 

Then, like an unspoken exchange had happened between the two, she saw Blakes back muscles relax a fraction and the panther gently nudged her out of the way with its big head and made its way towards Yang, who was still backed up against the tree.

“Uh, B-Blake,” Yang whispered, not daring to move a muscle, “get it to stop please.”

Blakes face looked worried under her mask, “I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can't, it's coming right for me!”

“The forest is testing you, I cannot interfere.”

“Testing me?! What does that even-” Yang cut herself off. The panther was only about 4 feet away now. Like Yang, it’s body was tense, like it was ready to pounce or sprint away at a moment's notice. 

Yang didn't know what to do. Her heart was about to beat out of her chest. _I'm going to die._

A memory flashed through Yang's head:

_“My family and I respect the forest wholly and unwavering, so the forest does the same for us. We protect the forest and in return the forest does not treat us as hostile, and all its animals know that too.”_

Slowly, she slid down the tree until she was sitting on the ground, knees pulled up against her chest. Keeping her eyes locked with the panthers, she reached out with a hand, but pulled back slightly when it gave a warning growl, showing its teeth.

Yang took a shaky breath. She either had a worse concussion than she thought, or she was just straight up stupid. 

“It's ok,” Yang whispered, “It's ok.” She wasn't sure if she was reassuring herself or the panther. 

This was it, Yang realized, this was a moment of truth. Blake said this was the forest's way of testing her. So she either had to trust Blakes words from the night before or she would most likely die.

Yang closed her eyes and reached her hand out again and waited. Her breathing was still erratic and her heart was still ponding. But she had to trust Blake, trust the forest. Yang knew it was the only way. She heard the panther slowly come closer but Yang didn't dare open her eyes. _Trust and respect_. That's all the forest wanted from her. 

Yang gasped when the panther slowly pushed its head against Yang's palm. When she didn't open her eyes, the panther gave an encouraging mewl.

She cracked her eyes open, making eye contact with the panther again. It wasn't doing anything, just looking at her curiously. Yang glanced up at Blake who hadn't moved from her spot. She looked less worried than before.

Her heart rate was evening out slightly as she took deep breaths. She looked back at the big black animal in front of her as it sat down, and started to move her hand over the panther's head, petting it. 

She still had no idea what she was doing, but at least the panther didn’t seem upset. 

They sat there for what only was a few minutes, with her petting its big head, but to Yang, it felt like hours. It wasn’t until Yang's heart rate and breathing went back to normal that the panther got back up. It moved closer to gently nudge its forehead against Yangs chest, pushing her back into the tree a bit, before pulling away. 

The panther looked back at Blake and they held eye contact once again. Blake tilted her head slightly, as if to ask a question. Yang saw the panther blink slowly in response. 

And just like that, the panther turned and disappeared in the thick jungle once more. 

“Um.” Yang said, very overwhelmed. “What the fuck just happened?” 

Blake was still looking where the panther disappeared, she seemed deep in thought. When she looked back at Yang her features were intense, but somehow less guarded.

“You passed.” 


	4. Chapter 4

“I passed? What does that even mean?”

Blake walked over to where she was sitting, untying the machete that was on her hip. “It means that the forest accepts your presents here. It will not harm you.. for now.” 

Blake held the machete down at her side. 

“It is an honor to be accepted by the forest. It’s very rare for your kind to get such treatment. But remember, this is a privilege. The respect that this forest has for you is conditional. Do not betray its trust.” She lifted her arm, presenting the handle of the machete to Yang. 

“Or mine.”

Yang got to her feet, baffled. “Just like that?”

“Just like that.” Blake looked away for a moment before looking back.

“The forest sees something in you. You are… different, then the others that have passed through this land. But, you won't get another chance. I trust the forests’ judgment. That is the only reason I'm doing this.” 

Yang didn't know what to say. For the first time since she crash-landed, she felt calm, safe. 

Yang looked at Blakes masked eyes. She was still tense and guarded, but here she was, offering the weapon back to a girl she barely knew. To an outsider no less. Yang didn’t want to disappoint her, or the forest. 

Reluctantly, Yang reached out and grabbed the handle of her machete, removing it from Blakes grasp. She immediately tied it to her hip.

Yang looked back at Blake, hoping she was conveying her honesty through her eyes. “I won't betray your trust, I promise.”

_____________

Hands slammed loudly on the desk.

“I told you to find them. Why has there still been no progress.”

“I’m sorry Mr. Schnee,” The Hunter stood stiffly in the office, eyes on the ground in front of him. “They are nearly impossible to track. Even when we get close, they manage to evade, or take us out one by one. They are incredibly fast-”

“Do _not_ give me excuses.” The Hunter sealed his lips.

Jacque sighed and sat in his desk chair, rubbing his temples. 

“Where were they last spotted?”

Straightening his spine the Hunter responded. “The eastern quadrant sir. We believe that the plane crash might have drawn them out of the deep jungle. We have people patrolling the area as we speak.” 

Jacque nodded, “Good. And the pilot? Has the body been discovered?”

“Not yet sir, no new statues have been found either.”

Humming in response, Jacque leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “It would be a miracle if they were still alive. No one could survive out there on their own.” Jacque glanced back at the Hunter. “If you find the pilot alive, bring them straight to me. I want to know how they got the clearance to fly over this region.” 

“Yes sir. And what of the guardians?”

He got up from his desk and walked over to the book shelf on the wall, where a small picture frame of his family lay. He stood there silently for a few moments, making the Hunter sweat.

When he looked over his shoulder, all his features were schooled besides a slight pinch between his eyebrows. 

“Inform Adam Taurus that I would like to speak with him.”

The Hunter swallowed, “Yes sir.”

_____________

The sun was well into the sky now. Yang guessed it was a few hours past noon.

The jungle around them seemed much more lively now that Yang had been accepted. Birds were chirping loudly in the trees whose leaves were rustling almost welcomingly. She felt.. good, believe it or not. The sense of dread that she had since she crashed was gone now. Yang was starting to understand what Blake meant when she said the forest communicates through energy.

As for the other girl, she wasn't walking way ahead of Yang anymore, only about two or three steps in front, not a couple yards. And her responses to Yang's questions were less shallow and reserved than they were before. Granted, the girl still didn't talk much, but Yang still welcomed the change, even if it was only a slight one. 

Yang untied the water bottle from her hip to take a drink. She lifted its rim to her mouth and tilted her head back to swallow. She noticed she was running low.

“So,” Yang said, putting her water away, “Can I ask you something?”

Blake didn't break her stride. “Sure.”

“The panther from before, how did you know what it wanted? Could you understand what it was saying?”

Blake gave a soft chuckle, “No, but I felt her energy. I knew what she wanted, what the forest wanted.”

“Can you do that with all the animals here?”

“For the most part, although that panther is somewhat of a companion of mine. I know her better than most of the animals here. That's probably why the forest sent her to test you.”

Yang's eyes widened a bit, “You're _friends_ with it.”

“With _her,_ yes. We grew up together. We were both cubs when we first met.” Blake said ducking under a branch.

Yang gasped. “You had a panther as a pet when you were just a kid?! That's awesome!”

Blake turned around shapely. “She's not my pet. She's her own being just like everything else in this forest. She's not mine to own.” Her voice was hard.

“Oh, uh, right sorry.”

Blakes eyes narrowed under her mask. “The forest might accept you but that doesn't mean you know anything about it. You are an outsider, a guest. Don't forget that.”

Yang nodded, feeling guilty. Blake turned again and started walking.

“And pick up your feet when you walk, you're alerting anything within five miles that we’re here.”

The next step Yang took landed on a twig, the snap of it echoing through the forest. Yang huffed and continued after her. 

“Are we going to see her again? Your… friend?” 

Blake shrugged, “We’ll see her again when she wants to be seen. But, she has been following us in the trees for a couple hours now.”

“What!” Yang yelped, head snapping back to look at the trees above them, eyes searching.

“You're not going to find her, idiot. I said we’ll see her when she wants to be seen.”

Yang narrowed her eyes at the tree branches above them anyway, bringing her two fingers up to her eyes then turning her wrist up to the trees. 

_I’m watching you._

She wasn’t. In fact, it was probably the other way around, but acting tough made Yang feel a little better. 

When she lowered her head back back down, Blake looked very unamused.

“What?”

The eye roll that Blake gave her had no anger behind it, just mild irritation. “Ugh, just keep up will you?” 

Yang gave her a small salute. “Yes ma’am.”

______________

The sun was setting by the time they got to their next shelter. 

They went through the whole charade again like they did the night before. Blake climbed up the tree first with ease, then guided Yang after. Yang managed not to fall this time, much to Blakes surprise. 

They hadn’t ran into any issues today. Blake knew it was because the forest accepted Yang. Blake would never tell Yang this, but she was glad that the other girl had been accepted. If the forest stayed silent and had sent a counter force to eliminate the other girl… Blake didn't want to think about it. She could never harm the forest or its creatures.

It was weird. To be in the company of another person again. Blake had been on her own for so long that her own voice sounded strange to her ears. Granted, she did speak to the animals sometimes but it wasn't needed. Whatever she needed to communicate with them was always just known. 

Having another human at her side however, that was a whole other story. A human like Yang no less. 

Yang was so curious. About everything. On their way there she asked Blake many questions about the forest, about her life growing up, about its animals, about the fruit she was eating, or what type of plant that was they were walking past. Blake would normally answer in hums or short sentences, but this was still the most she had talked in months. Eventually, Yang stopped asking questions about her family. Blake guessed she finally picked up that she wasn't going to answer those. The forest trusted Yang, so Blake supposed she _could_ tell the other girl about them. But to Blake, that seemed way too personal. She couldn't even think about her family without a pit forming in her stomach so how was she supposed to talk to the other girl about them. 

Blake sighed as she climbed to the branch that held her cot, Yang following close behind her.

“How many of these little beds have you set up in this jungle?” Yang asked. 

Blake shrugged. “Enough.”

“Do you sleep in one of these every night? Don't you have like a home base or something? Somewhere that's not, you know, fifty feet off the ground.”

Blake rolled her eyes at the other girls dramatics. “We’re not fifty feet off the ground. It’s thirty feet at most.”

Yang looked at her with raised eyebrows, alarmed. “Like that matters! I’ll still break my legs if I fall.”

“The only reason you'd fall off this tree is because you can't keep still when you sleep. You almost rolled yourself off the branch five times last night.”

A smirk formed on Yang's face. “So you were watching me sleep huh.” She said with a wink.

Blakes shoulders tensed. “I.. um-.”

“And anyway, I'm not the biggest fan of heights. I'm not afraid of them or anything, I just don't like that I'm three feet away from falling to my death.”

Blakes heart was still racing from Yang's earlier comment. Thankfully, she was turned away so Yang couldn't see the warmth on her cheeks. She cleared her throat.

“I'm going to get us food. I’ll be back soon so please try to not get yourself hurt.”

“What?! You're leaving me? What if something comes to get me?”

Blake gave her a blank look. The girl was literally six feet of pure muscle. “The forest won't harm you remember?”

Yang made a distressed noise from the back of her throat. She looked genuinely uncomfortable with the thought of Blake leaving.

“Look,” Blake said, scratching behind her ear. “I won't be gone long, it's just getting dark outside and it’ll be much quicker if I go by myself. You can't see as well as I can in the dark.”

“But-” Yangs stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly. Yang groaned and looked into Blakes covered eyes. “Ok ok, just.. hurry back please.” 

Blake, again, felt something swell in her chest. Yang was looking at her like she trusted Blake with her life. 

Blake didn't know how to handle it.

Instead, she just nodded and said, “I’ll be back soon.” and lept from the branch.

____________

Yang was fine. She was just sitting there on the branch… by herself… in a dark scary forest. Totally fine. 

She sat with her back against the trunk of the tree and was tapping her thigh with her fingers in an inconsistent rhythm. Blake had been gone for about 20 minutes. She knew the forest wouldn't harm her, but that didn't stop her from flinching every time the forest made a noise. Her heart would pound every time the leaves would rustle or a bird squawked. The forest was much scarier at night.

Not able to sit still any longer, she got up and started pacing up and down the thick branch.

_Deep breaths Yang. Blake wouldn't leave you out here to die._

A few minutes passed before Yang heard a small rustle above her head and looked up. She couldn't see anything. Damn her stupid normal human eyes.

She stayed looking up for another few moments before turning away. Right when she did however, she heard it again, closer this time. Yang froze in her spot, slowly turning her head back up. Still, she saw nothing.

When she heard it again even closer, she scrambled for her machete. 

She got it out of the tie on her hip, but before she could raise it, the source of the noise sprung out from the branches above, landing on a branch at Yang's eye level, swinging from its tail.

Yang sighed. “All that build up for a damn monkey.” She murmured, closing her eyes briefly. 

She opened them up again to get a better look at the thing. It was hanging upside down from its tail, looking at Yang curiously. It reached out its arms and opened and closed its fists, like a baby asking for something.

“What?” Yang asked, as the monkey continued its motions. “I don't have anything for you.”

Yang bent at her knees slightly to get closer to the monkey, coming face to face with the creature. It was cute. It’s big eyes full of curiosity. Yang guessed it was still a child.

Being so close, the monkey reached out its hands to grab Yang's cheeks, then moved to her ears, tugging on them lightly. 

“You’re a curious little fellow aren't you?” Yang laughed.

The monkey looked at Yang blankly. Then, suddenly, it shot its hand out, grabbed a fist full of her hair, and _yanked_.

“Ow! Hey! Stop it!”

The monkey screeched playfully. Yang reached up to her head to wrestle her hair from the monkey's grasp. They played tug-a-war for a few seconds before the monkey let go and Yang stumbled back, close to the edge of the branch.

She glared at the monkey, who now had a big grin on its face. “That was _not_ funny.”

The monkey looked like it disagreed. Yang huffed and watched it disappear in the tree again.

“Hey.”

Yang let out a scream as a voice spoke from behind her. She whipped around pointing the machete in that direction, instinctually taking a step back. But instead of her foot landing on the branch, it missed and Yang was falling backwards over the side. Yang's stomach lurched as she felt herself free fall for a fraction of a second. 

A hand shot out and fisted the front of her shirt, yanking her back onto the branch. 

“What the hell?! Could you be more careful? I swear you actually like falling from trees.” 

Yang let out a sigh of relief. “Blake! Oh my gods Blake. I'm so happy you're back. This monkey tried to kill me. Why would you sneak up on me like that? I could've hurt you!”

Blake raised an eyebrow. “I highly doubt that,” Yang didn’t know what part of her sentence she was referring to, “and by the looks of it, you almost just killed yourself.” 

Blake released the front of her shirt. “I'm serious Blake! This monkey came and started pulling my hair!” Yang knew she was pouting but couldn't help it. The part of her head where the monkey pulled her hair still ached.

Blake chuckled, “Yes well, that's what monkeys do.” 

Yang narrowed her eyes at the branches above. “Evil.”

“Come, I found a banana tree nearby.”

The irony didn’t escape Yang.

They sat on the cot like they did the night before, eating together quietly. Once they were done, Blake spoke up.

“Do you still want me to do your hair?”

“Oh! Yea sure!” Yang said, tossing the banana peel off to the side.

Blake nodded. “Turn around.”

Yang did as she was told, turning on her bottom to face away from Blake. She felt the girl shift closer, her knees skimming against Yangs lower back. Then, hands came around both sides of her head, collecting her hair and pulling it over her shoulders. Yang hoped Blake didn't feel her pulse jump when fingers brushed over her neck. 

“You have a lot of hair.” Blake stated.

Yang laughed. “Yea, I know. Ruby always tells me I should cut it, but I like it long.” 

“Ruby?”

“My younger sister.” Yang clarified.

Blake hummed, running her fingers through Yangs hair, getting the knots and twigs out. “What's she like?”

Yang found it odd that the other girl was starting a conversation, but rolled with it anyway.

“She's great. Always the optimist that one. So much energy.”

Yang could actually feel Blakes eyebrow raise behind her. “Like you _don’t_ have a lot of energy?”

Yang chucked. “If you think _I’m_ energetic you should meet Ruby. That girl could run three marathons in a row and be ready for a fourth right after.”

Yang felt her hair being parted into three sections as she continued. “I’ve never met anyone like my sister before. She's brave and always knows what to do. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like I’m the older sister. I go to _her_ for advice.” Yang could feel herself smiling. “She's someone who you can always count on, will always be there for you.”

“She sounds like a great person.” Blake said softly, braiding Yangs hair with practiced fingers. 

Yang nodded. “She is.”

“Stop moving your head.” Blake sounded amused. 

They sat there silently for a few moments. Yang closed her eyes, the soft ministrations on her hair making her tired. She liked this feeling.

“You must miss her.” Blake said it in a whisper.

Yang swallowed past the lump in her throat. “I do.”

The minutes that followed were quiet, only the sounds of the jungle around them filling the silence. Yang felt herself sinking back into Blake, leaning against her knees behind her. Her fingers were gentle, never pulling too hard. It reminded Yang of her mother, Summer. She was always this gentle too.

By the time Blake was done Yang was almost asleep. Yang cracked her eyes open when she felt a soft hand on her shoulder.

“There. Now no more monkeys can grab your hair.” Blake's voice was still quiet, like she didn't want to shatter the calm atmosphere around them.

Yang didn't move her body, just turned her head to look at Blake.

“Thank you.” She said just as softly.

Their faces were close. Any closer and Yang would be able to feel the other girls breath on her face. They stayed like that for what felt like forever, looking at each other, stuck in a sort of trance. 

Blake was the first to snap out of it, jerking back and standing up quickly. Yang had to catch herself before she plopped on the branch beneath her. 

“I’ll take first watch. Get some sleep.”

Yang cleared her throat. “Do we even need to keep watch anymore? I mean, didn't you say the forest wouldn't harm us?”

“Just go to sleep.” Blake snapped. “I’ll wake you up in the morning.”

“Wait, but-” Yang couldn't finish her sentence. The other girl was already making her way up the tree out of Yang's sight. 

Yang sighed and reached her hand back to examine her hair. It was in one long, simple french braid. Not a hair out of place. It looked like she could wear it for days before having to redo it. 

Yang hummed approvingly, then laid back on the cot, looking up at the canopy above with both hands under her head. It took her longer to fall asleep this time, her mind racing with thoughts of the jungle, before she finally settled into place.

She dreamt of her mother that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a rough couple of days. My heart aches. All I can say is Black Lives Matter, and Justice for George Floyd.


	5. Chapter 5

It was mid morning when Yang announced that she was out of water.

“We’re gonna need to find more water soon.”

Blake looked over her shoulder to watch Yang shake her water bottle over her mouth to get the last few drops.

“We’ll have to take a detour from our path but there’s a place we can get fresh water from a few miles north of here. Can you survive until then?”

Yang looked offended and rolled her eyes. “ _Yes,_ I’ll be fine for a while.”

Blake smirked to herself as she switched directions, heading north. The other girl was so easy to rile up. 

They walked for a bit before their path was blocked by a large group of trees all bundled closely together, leaves and vines too dense to walk through. 

Blake sighed, “We’ll have to go around, it's too thick.”

“What? No, that’ll take too long, here.” Yang raised her machete, planning to carve out a path for them to walk through.

Blakes heart lept in her throat and shot her hand out to grab Yang's wrist.

“Stop! What are you doing?!”

“I’m… making it so we don't have to go around?” It sounded more like a question than a statement.

“Do you ever use your brain?” Blake sneered, her grip tightening around Yang's wrist. “I told you the forest accepts you only under certain conditions. Don’t be an idiot, there's no need for that.”

Yang twists away from her grip, eyebrows pinched. “Then just tell me that next time geez. This is all new for me. You don't have to be so rude.”

Blake bristled. “You’re the one acting like a child. You realize the forest can kill you for that right?”

Yang let out a groan. “It's like walking on eggshells with you. I don't know what I can or can't do or say. One moment we’ll be fine and the next moment you're snapping at me, what's your deal?”

“If you haven't noticed, I’m the one thats been keeping you alive this whole time.”

Yang stepped closer and jabbed her finger at Blakes chest. “That was _your_ decision. You could've left me out there to die that day, you could've even killed me. But you didn't. Why?”

Blake swallowed hard, instantly wanting to be anywhere else. This was the first time she'd seen intensity like this in Yang's eyes. She stepped back. 

“Whatever.” Blake pushed herself past Yang, walking faster than before. 

“You can't always just run away every time you get uncomfortable Blake.”

Blake kept walking.

_____________

It was an hour before they spoke to each other again. 

Blake couldn't stop thinking about what Yang had said to her. In all honesty, she didn't have an answer to the other girls question. There was something about her that was different than any other outsider that Blake had encountered before. She seemed trustworthy. Blake could tell she had a kind heart and it also helped that the forest trusted her.

Then again Adam seemed trustworthy at first too. Don't get her wrong, her heart had healed from the gaping hole he’d left there, but that didn't mean it didn't still hurt. His betrayal… what he did to Blake, to the forest, to her _family_. It was unforgivable and she hated him for it. It had been two years since then and Blake had made a promise to herself that she would never let her guard down with anyone again. 

But with Yang, Blake found herself letting her walls down a little bit in front of the other girl. She didn't do it on purpose, it just felt...natural. It scared her, very much so, but it didn't feel wrong. 

Blake looked back at Yang as she walked. The other girl had her eyes trained on the ground in front of her, probably making sure she doesn't trip on any tree roots. Her machete was tied to her hip, it swung lightly when she walked. Her eyebrows were pinched with concentration and there was a light layer of sweat on her brow. Blake could see the girls muscles moving under her skin. Blake would be lying if she said she thought she wasn't attractive.

Yang's eyes glanced up to meet hers and Blakes heart skipped a beat. 

“What?” Yang's voice didn't hold nearly as much hostility as she thought it would.

Blake cleared her throat. “I’m um… sorry. About before.” She turned back around to face forward again as they walked. “It's been a long time since I've been in the company of another person who's not trying to kill me. It's hard to remember how I'm supposed to act sometimes.”

Blake heard Yang stop walking behind her. She was quiet for a moment before speaking. 

“Blake.”

Her tone of voice made her stop in her tracks. Blake couldn't tell if she sounded concerned or sad. Maybe it was both. Blake didn't turn to meet her eyes.

“How long have you been on your own out here?”

Blake swallowed, her voice was so gentle. She felt her walls start to crumble.

“I.. I know you don't like it when I ask about your family,” Yang must've seen her shoulders tense because she continued on quickly, “so I won’t ask, but I can tell when someone’s in pain. How long have you been out here by yourself?” She asked again.

Blake let out a shaky breath. It has been a long time since someone spoke to her with such kindness. “Um.. it's been t-two years since I've talked to my family.”

Blake heard her footsteps again, coming closer. Yang then positioned herself so she was in Blakes peripheral vision. Blake still didn't meet her eyes. 

“Can I touch you?”

Blake didn't trust her voice, so she nodded slowly instead.

Yang's hand was in her line of sight the whole time as it made its way to Blakes shoulder. Blake guessed that was intentional. 

When she gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze Blake finally looked at the other girl. She had an understanding look on her face and her eyes were soft.

“My mom died when I was a teenager. It was hard on all of us, but my dad took it the worst. He sorta just.. shut down. After that I had to take care of my little sister basically by myself. It's always just been the two of us. We’ve been through a lot together.”

“I'm sorry.” Blake meant it.

“It's ok. I'm just telling you that I know how to listen, if you ever want to talk about it.” Yang squeezed her shoulder again lightly before dropping her hand. 

Blake just nodded again.

“And I also wanted to say that I want to learn about this jungle. I know I'm kind of a klutz but everything about this forest and about _you_..” Blake saw her cheeks pink a little, “It's so fascinating. So if you're willing to give me a shot, I’d like to know more. That way you don’t.. you know, feel the need to snap at me every ten minutes.” Yang chuckled. “Teach me. Please.”

Blake looked at her. It wasn't hard to see that she was being genuine. Maybe… it was time to let someone in again.

Blake gave her a short nod and held out her hand. “Deal.”

Yang's face lit up. “Really? Oh you won't regret this I swear!” 

She grabbed Blakes hand and shook it enthusiastically. And for the first time in a long time, Blake felt herself smile.

_____________

If it were even possible, Yang was asking more questions than she was before. The only difference was that Blake answered them now with the intent to teach the other girl, not just inform. 

_“Don't touch that.”_

_“What, why not? It's just a plant.”_

_Blake chuckled and made her way over to the other girl. “No, that's actually poison ivy.”_

_“Ah!” Thankfully, Yang hadn't actually touched the plant but still cradled her limb to her chest. “How can you tell?”_

_Blake crouched and gestured at Yang to follow. “Look at it closely, you can tell because of the deep grooves it has on the leaves and the pointy tips.”_

Yang had nodded understandingly and pulled out her notebook and pencil. The notebook made a few other appearances before that, mostly after Blake would give her advice or teach her something new. It was nice to see that she was actually taking this seriously.

They were about a half a mile away from their destination when Yang abruptly spoke up behind her. 

“Wait!”

Blake turned around to see the girl headed off into the trees to her right. “Where are you going?” She asked following after her. 

Blake stopped dead in her tracks and her stomach dropped. 

Yang was standing in front of a statue, furiously writing in her notebook, only glancing up to look at the statue every few seconds. 

“I can't believe we found another one, the last time I saw one of these was my first day in the jungle after I crashed.” Yang didn't look at Blake when she spoke, too busy writing down the details of the statute. “This one looks completely different than the other two I saw. Is that a gun strapped to its hip? This detail is crazy.” She was mostly just talking to herself now. 

Blake was glad that Yang was so caught up in the moment or else she might've realized that Blake was frozen to her spot. Her heart was pounding, there wasn't supposed to be a statue here. She had been purposefully avoiding them, that way she didn't have to answer any unwanted questions from Yang. What the other girl didn't know couldn't hurt her. 

It looked fresh. Plants and moss had yet to start growing over its legs, meaning this statue was only a few days old. That could only mean one thing.

Blake snapped herself to attention, ears perking up and eyes searching the area around them. 

Her parents had been here recently, Hunters too. Blake felt her hands start to shake. She couldn't face them.

_Not yet._

“It's so crazy that we found another one. Do you have any idea what these are all about?” When she didn't respond Yang looked up. “Blake, I said- oh. Are you ok?”

Blake didn't notice how quickly she was breathing. She tried to take a deep breath, only to choke on it. Her legs felt weak and before she knew it she was on her hands and knees gasping for air. Her chest felt tight and she was light headed. Memories of her mother and father flashed through her mind. Memories since before Adam, when they were happy. When she still saw their faces everyday. When _he_ was still alive. 

_Aiden._

“Blake! Blake, listen to me, focus on my voice.” 

Yang's voice was muffled by the ringing in her ears. She needed to ground herself. Her hands scrambled for something solid to hold onto. She felt something warm slip into her hand and she gripped it tightly. It was firm, but somehow soft at the same time. Grounding, but gentle. Blake was able to focus on Yang's words again.

“Good, just keep breathing, you got this. In and out, follow my lead.” Blake was able to lift her head to look at Yang. She followed the other girl as she took exaggerated breaths, never breaking eye contact or moving away. 

After a few minutes, she hadn't stopped shaking but her breathing had gone back to normal. 

“I’m-” Her voice was hoarse, she cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m sorry, I don't know-”

“No, hey it's ok. Don't apologize.” 

Blake looked around to get her bearings again when she realized she still had a solid grip on whatever she was holding. She looked down to find her left hand clenched around Yang's forearm. The other girls hand loosely wrapped around her elbow keeping her arm in place. Blake loosened her grip but didn't let go.

She started to stand, Yang reached out her other arm to help her to her feet. 

“Are you ok?” Yang asked, concern heavy in her voice. 

Blake nodded and looked toward the statute. Yang must've noticed because she looked back at it too. 

“You... know what those are, don't you?”

Blake took a shaky breath and glanced back to Yang's face. She tightened her fingers around Yang's arm once more.

“Do you trust me, Yang?” It was the first time Blake had said the other girls' name out loud. It made her heart pound.

“Yes.” Yang answered immediately. She sounded a little breathless herself. “I trust you.”

Blake released her hand from around Yangs arm and turned to walk closer to the statue, getting a better look at it. She recognized his face but couldn't tell you his name. 

He was a Hunter.

“Yang…” Once she started she couldn't stop. She liked the way the other girls name sounded on her voice. 

“There's something I need to tell you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you'll know more about aiden soon


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry there was no update last week, I was suuuper busy. but heres a long chapter to make up for it

_Knock Knock._

“Come in.”

The door to Jacques’ office opened with a click. 

“You wanted to see me?”

“Adam. Yes, come in.” Jacque gestured to the chair opposite him on the other side of the desk. “Sit.”

Adam stalked across the room and sat. His deep red hair was slicked back and well trimmed. He was wearing cargo pants and a black tea-shirt, an empty gun holster strapped to his hip. Jacque watched the boy for a few seconds as he adjusted his eyepatch that covered his left eye. The older man could see the ends of the scar poking out of each end, protruding into his eyebrow and cheek. An injury he’d become to associate the boy with.

Adam made himself comfortable, leaning back in his chair, spreading his legs and resting his right ankle over his left knee. He had a smirk on his face. “So,” Adam started, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

Jacque suppressed an eye roll. The boy was always so cocky. “I have an assignment for you.”

“Great.” Adam sighed, sarcastically. “What is it? Perimeter patrol? Another weapons deal? Security detail?”

“No.” Jacque didn't explain further, absentmindedly organizing the papers on the desk. 

“Then what is it?” Adam snapped, annoyed. He never had much patients. 

Jacque glanced up to look at the boy sitting adjacent to him. He wasn't sure how he would react to the next thing he was going to tell him. Sitting up straight in his chair and folding his hands over his desk, Jacque leveled him with a steady gaze and began to explain. 

“I'm sure you've heard rumors of the plane crash that happened a few days ago.” Adam hummed in response and he continued. “The pilot's body hasn't been discovered yet.”

Adams eyes pinched together in confusion. He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees. “No one survives the jungle on their own. What do we know?”

“Well, we know that the plane itself was severely damaged when we found it, along with its radio. What we don't know is if the pilot was able to send out a distress signal before crashing. It seems unlikely though, as there hasn't been any chatter about it over the military channels these past couple days. As you know, we’ve been listening in on their stations.”

Adam nodded, “What else.”

“My hunters were able to track their footprints for about 8 miles before the trail went cold. It looks like they were headed east.”

“No footprints but no body either? What about a statue.”

“None have been found yet.”

Adam sighed and leaned back in his chair, running a hand through his hair, messing it up a bit, thinking. Jacque knew Adam was smart. He could see him piecing it together behind his eyes.

Adam glanced back at Jacque with his one good eye. “What's the mission then?” He asked with a scowl.

“Find the pilot.”

“Argh!” Adam slammed his hands against the arms of the chair and stood, angrily stomping towards Jacques' desk. “If the pilot has survived this long on their own that could only mean one thing. We _both_ know what that is. It's not going to be that easy. If the forest accepted them and they're under the guardians protection, we have no chance.” 

Jacque only nodded at the fuming boy in front of him. “I know it won't be easy. Which is why I want you to lead the mission.” If Jacque Schnee knew how to do anything, it was manipulation. “I mean, are you not the only person who has succeeded before? Are you not the one who gained the Schnee Logging Company the upper hand? Because of you my company is thriving and the benefits have been rolling in for two years now.” 

Jacque watched with quiet satisfaction as Adam seemed to eat up the praise like he had been starved of it his whole life. _Bingo._ Adam always had a big ego. Jacque was just feeding it. 

“All I'm asking you to do is apprehend the pilot and bring them to me. Alive.” Jacque stood from his chair and walked around to the front of his desk, facing Adam. “If you succeed, your reward will be double the regular amount.” Adams' eye widened a bit, that was _a lot_ of money. “And, if you ask me, I think the guardians need a little reminder on who we are. How _powerful_ we can be.” 

Hook, line, and….

“I think it's time you paid that _animal_ of a girl back for taking your eye.”

Sinker.

Adam exhaled heavily through his nose. He reached up to lightly touch the end of the scar that was showing on his cheekbone. Jacque could see the boy seething. He saw a volcano behind the boy's good eye, ready to erupt with hate and rage at any moment.

Through gritted teeth, Adam spoke. “When do I leave?”

Jacque smirked.

“Tomorrow.”

__________________

“Come on, it's right through here.” Blake said, moving a branch out of the way for Yang to pass through.

Yang sighed with relief, “Finally, I’m so thirsty. Are we going to a river, I hear rushing water?”

“Yes, it's a part of one of the three main rivers that run through this jungle. I haven't been to this spot in a while, so hopefully it's as I remember.”

Yang allowed Blake to step in front of her again, leading them towards the sound. After they ran into the statue, Blake promised to explain later. Promised to tell her everything once they were in the safety of the trees that night. Yang wanted to argue. Wanted to demand she explain now, but after seeing the girl break down in front of her, she knew it was probably a good idea to wait. Let the other girl recuperate before opening old wounds again. 

It was obvious to Yang that whatever was going on, had taken a major toll on Blake. Yang knew the signs of trauma when she saw it. She had seen the same signs in her father for years now. The guarded personality, the jumpiness, the long stretches of silence after an emotional moment. Yang just hoped that the other girl wouldn't close herself off again. So for now, she wouldn't press.

A couple minutes later Yang saw a clearing up ahead through the trees. 

“Here we are.” Blake said walking into the area near the river.

Yang looked around. She was...speechless. This was probably the most beautiful part of the jungle she had seen. 

From where she was standing at the edge of the tree line, Yang could see the river. There was a waterfall that flowed from above, rushing down filling a large pool of fresh water before continuing downstream again. The pool itself was big, about the size of a large pond. Yang walked to its bank. It looked deep. Deep enough that she couldn't see the bottom clearly. There was a beam of direct sunlight that shone through the treetops above them. Cutting through the shadows like a piece of ripped fabric. Around them, the trees were high, sheltering them as if they were in a little bubble. 

Yang had to catch her breath. “This is… wow.”

“It's like I remember.” Yang looked at Blake. Even though Yang couldn't see her eyes, she could tell the other girl was happy, or at least content. She had a small smile that was pulling on the corners of her mouth. “It’s...nice, isn't it?”

“Are you kidding?! This is the coolest thing I've ever seen!” Yang gestured wildly to the waterfall in front of them. “That's an actual waterfall!”

Blake chuckled at the other girl. “Yes, I can see that.”

Yang laughed loudly and started to untie her shoes, shedding off her tank top at the same time.

“Yang!” Yang didn’t notice how her voice went up an octave. “What are you doing?” 

“What? You take me here and expect me _not_ to go swimming?” She said, hopping around on one foot, trying to pull her other boot off. 

Blake glanced around hesitantly. “I don't know, we should probably keep moving.” 

“Come on Blake, we’ve been walking all day. A twenty minute break will do us some good.” Yang unbuttoned her trousers and shucked them down her legs, not caring that she had an audience. She was never one for shame after all.

Yang paid no attention to the small noise that came from the back Blakes throat at the action, and she made her way towards the water, clad in only her sports bra and underwear. 

Yang got up to about her mid-thigh before turning back to look at Blake. She wasn't watching Yang but she hadn’t moved from her spot either. She was looked off into the trees, ears perked up and alert as if searching for any possible movement nearby.

Yang sighed, this is gonna take some convincing.

“Hey,” Yang started, chuckling a little, “Aren’t you coming?”

Blake looked back at Yang briefly but quickly looked back to the jungle around them, ears flicking. “We should just fill up your container and go. The waterfall is making it hard to hear.” 

“Come on Blake!” Yang said, backing up more into the water. “If something was following us, you would have heard them coming before we even got here. Plus, the water feels super nice right now, we both could use a little break.” 

Blake shook her head lightly, but said nothing. Yang frowned a little bit, disappointed. She didn't want to push though, so Yang continued her descent into the water and shrugged.

“Suit yourself.” Yang took a deep breath and dived under the water. It was refreshing after a couple long days of hiking. She felt the cool water across her skin, washing away the layer of dirt and sweat. She resurfaced and whipped the water off of her face, letting out a content sigh. 

Her back was to Blake as she stretched her arms above her head, flexing her back muscles, and asked, “Hey, since you're not coming in would you mind grabbing my water bottle? I still need to fill it up.” She looked over her shoulder to find Blake already looking at her. Yang shot her a smile, “Please?”

Blake turned around with a little more torque than necessary, Yang saw some pink on her cheeks and smirked. A plan forming in her head. 

When Blake grabbed her water bottle, Yang swam away, closer to the center of the pool. 

“Yang, here's your container, come fill it up so we can go.”

Yang smiled as she treaded the water. “In a minute.” She dipped her mouth in the water, taking some in her mouth and swallowing. The water coated her throat nicely. She took another gulp. 

She stayed out in the water, not planning to come back anytime soon. She heard Blake sigh and looked up to the water bank. She saw the other girl making her way into the water, bottle in hand. 

“Fine I'll just fill this up. Once I'm done, then we go ok?” Blake said, looking back up at Yang. In response, Yang spit out the water in her mouth, aiming the stream at Blake. It didn't reach its target, obviously, Yang was still pretty far away, but she got her desired reaction out of Blake. The other girl shook her head with a small smile, humored by the other girls antics, and continued to make her way into the water. 

Blake was about up to her knees, unscrewing the water bottle and dipping it into the water. While the other girl was distracted, Yang made her move. Slowly swimming back to shore, keeping most of her body in the water. When she was a couple yards away from Blake, she stopped. 

Blake glanced up at her. Yang only had the top half of her face out of the water.

“What are you doing?” Blake asked, suspiciously.

Yang smirked underneath the water. She raised herself quickly out of the water, lifting her arms and bringing them back down onto the water, sending a massive spray of water at Blake who shrieked.

Yang laughed at the other girl who was standing there with her mouth open in shock, the whole left side of her body and face soaked.

Blake whipped her head back around. “What are you, five?” Blake asked the laughing girl.

Through her laughs, Yang said, “You should see your face right now.”

Blake narrowed her eyes competitively. She put the cap back on the now full water bottle and tossed it to shore. Yang had a big smile on her face when she looked back. Yang knew what was coming. Like she planned, Blake immediately splashed her back. Yang shielded herself as much as she could before retaliating. 

After a few long minutes of intense water fighting, Yang gave in.

“Ok! Ok! Geez woman, take it easy.” Yang didn't mean it of course, she was having a blast.

Blake was slightly out of breath when she answered. “You started it.” 

Yang looked at her. Her tunic was soaked along with her hair, water dripping off her face. She was grinning, much to Yang's surprise, she could actually see the other girls teeth when she smiled. Yang's heart jumped.

“Since you're already wet, why not come in for a little bit?” Yang asked. “Come on, it’ll be good.”

Yang could see her resolve failing, so she gave another nudge. “I promise to leave right after.”

Blake tilted her head, contemplating the idea “Ok fine. But just for a little.” She walked back to shore, to shed her soaked clothes. Yang gave herself a silent fist bump.

_Mission accomplished._

When Blake made her way back into the water she was wearing tight shorts around her legs and her chest was bound with strips of cloth. The skin on her stomach was smooth and toned besides a couple of scars in the front of the girl's left hip. They were a couple inches long each and they criss-crossed like an “X” marking a spot. Yang didn't let her eyes linger there too long. 

Yang noticed she didn’t take off the mask. “You know,” she started, trying to sound casual, “you could take off the mask if you wanted. I won't think anything of it.” She definitely would think something of it. Blake seemed to cling to that thing like it was some sort of security blanket. Yang knew it would be a big step for her to take it off.

“No.” Blake said simply. 

Yang nodded. _Baby steps._ She leaned back to float atop the water, waiting for Blake to fully emerge herself. Just her face was above the water now, eyes looking up through the break in the canopy above them. With her ears submerged, all she could hear was the muffled noise of the waterfall. She closed her eyes. It was so peaceful.

When she felt a poke to her side she opened them again and made herself upright. Blake was standing in front of her, water up to her collar bones. Her hair wet and slicked back, making the ears on her head look bigger. She must've gone under when Yang wasn't looking.

Blake tilted her head slightly. “I want to show you something.”

“Ok.” Yang said, her dumb brain still trying to recover from the sight in front of her.

Blake started to swim away backwards, holding Yang's gaze for a moment before turning away and swimming towards the waterfall. Yang followed behind.

As they got closer, the rushing sound of the water got louder, to the point where Blake almost had to yell so Yang could hear her.

“Follow me, take a deep breath.” Blake said loudly. Yang watched as she sucked in some air and went underneath the surface, swimming down and then under the waterfall, disappearing from Yang's sight.

Yang followed her lead, taking a deep breath and going under. She opened her eyes underneath the water so she didn't hit anything on the way there. Once she got past the pressure of the waterfall, she came back up for air.

When she got her head out of the water and stood on some rocks beneath her feet, she heard Blake speak as she wiped the water away from her eyes.

“Pretty nice, right?”

When Yang opened her eyes, she saw that they were in a shallow cave behind the waterfall. The only source of light was shining through the falling water, dimmy lightly the cave. It was small, only a couple yards in each direction, making it a tight fit for two people. This brought the proximity of the two girls to Yang's attention. They were standing close, about an arms length away from each other. 

“This is amazing!” Yang said, still looking around. She found a small rock ledge on the back of the cave and lifted herself onto it, feet dangling in the water. “How did you find this place?”

“I came here a lot when I was younger.” Blake answered, sitting herself next to Yang. Their shoulders were almost brushing. “My parents would bring us here when we were kids.”

“Us?”

Blake looked at Yang confused before she realized what she said. She looked away. 

“Um.. yea.” Blake took a shaky breath. “I uh, had a brother.” 

Yang felt a pit form in her stomach. _Oh._ She glanced at the other girl from the corner of her eye.

“What.. happened?” Yang asked, treading lightly.

Blake pulled her legs up so she could wrap her arms around her knees. She sighed heavily.

“He died.”

After a few moments of quiet, Yang moved towards the other girl. Wrapping her arms around the girls shoulders gently. Though Blake didn't hug her back, she didn't pull away either, that was a good sign.

“What are you doing?” Blake's voice sounded watery.

“Hugging you.” The position was a little awkward, but that didn't stop Yang from holding on to the other girl. She didn't do it roughly, just firmly. Yang noticed how the other girl responded well to grounding physical touches.

“His name was Aiden.” 

Yang squeezed a little tighter. After a few moments, Yang felt a tentative hand come to rest on the back of her arm. It didn't pull her in, it didn't push her away, it just rested there. 

Yang pulled away and looked at Blakes masked eyes. She kind of felt like she could cry herself. Yang lifted her hand to brush a strand of wet hair away from Blakes face. She tucked it behind her human ear but left her hand near Blakes face. Her thumb lightly brushing against her cheek. She hoped Blake couldn't hear her heart thumping in her chest. 

Blake looked away and lightly grabbed her hand, pulling it away gently. 

“Come on,” Blake said softly, “we should go.”

With that she slid off the rock and ducked under the waterfall. 

Yang ran a hand down her face as she tried to lower her heart rate. Great. Just what she needed. 

_Leave it to me to get a crush on a girl who literally lives out in the wild._ Yang thought, then moved to follow the other girl.

When she resurfaced on the other side, Blake was already on shore putting her now somewhat dry clothes back on. Yang followed suit, grabbing her water bottle and slipping back into her pants and tank top, tying her button up around her waist, before sitting down on a nearby rock to put on her boots. 

She was lacing her second shoe when Blake's voice cut through the air. Her tone was sharp.

“Someone’s coming.” Blake said, ears twitching and eyes scanning the tree line. 

“What? What do you mean?” Yang said, standing to look in the same direction.

“Shit, they're close. Too close. The waterfall made it so I couldn't hear them approaching. Come on, we have to go. Now.” Blake emphasized her point by grabbing Yang's wrist and dragging her behind her. Blake's voice sounded frantic, this must be bad.

Yang felt panic rise in her chest as they ran, it didn't help that she was making so much noise either. Blakes footsteps on the other hand, were completely silent. Yang was running right next to her and couldn't even hear the other girl move.

Blake took a sharp turn to the right, running up to the nearest tree. “Hurry, climb up.” Yang didn't know if she was getting better at climbing trees or if it was just pure adrenaline, but one second she was on the ground and the next second she was up in the tree watching Blake climb after her. 

“Go higher, as high as you can.” Blake's voice was a whisper now. “They can still see us from here.”

“Who!?” Yang responded in a desperate whisper. Blake didn't answer her as she pushed her further up the tree.

After about a minute of frantic climbing, Blake pulled Yang to a stop. Pushing her down so she was sitting on a branch back leaning against the trunk. Blake knelt in front of her scanning the ground below. 

Yang opened her mouth to ask a question, but a hand covered her mouth before she could respond. With one hand covering Yang's mouth, Blakes other hand held a single finger up to her own lips, signaling her to shut up. Yang nodded and the other girl released her.

Not five seconds later, Yang heard movement and voices below.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” A male voice. 

“Mercury, I swear, if you don't shut up, I’ll stab you right here. No one will find your body.” Female.

The man laughed, “Come on Em, you know I'm just playing, I know you're the best tracker we have.”

Yang heard the girl sigh. “Look, the tracks we found back there near the river were fresh. They definitely came through here within the past couple hours. We can't lose their trail.”

Yang glanced at Blake who was looking over the side, no doubt tracking the enemies movements below. Her shoulders were tense and her ears were pinned back defensively. Yang noticed she had taken the spear off her back and was now gripping it tightly.

“I know, I know, you're the boss. I'm just the muscle.” the man said. Yang heard their footsteps stop at the base of the tree they were hiding in. Blake sat back so she wouldn't be spotted. 

“Please stop flexing.” the girl said before they went quiet for a few seconds. She heard the girl below grunt in frustration. “The trial goes cold here.” Silence. “Don’t look at me like that!” Followed by a soft thump.

“Ow!” The boy laughed. “I’m sorry! Geez, I'm following you anyway. Where do you think they went?”

“Lets double back, they might be trying to throw us off.”

“Why do you want to be the one to find them so bad? We aren't the only people Schnee sent after them you know. We’ll catch them, I doubt a single pilot can get every far.” Yang's eyes widened. They were looking for her? Thats.. a good thing right? They were sending search parties to find her. She should feel relieved. Blake's body language told her otherwise.

“That means they're probably not alone, and you know what that means. To answer your question, I heard Schnee wanted to talk to Taurus yesterday.” Yang saw Blakes knuckles turn white around the spear. “I just don't want that douche bag to get another chance. That asshole has been treated like a god ever since he came back from his mission a couple years back.” 

“Yea well, that day was a big win for us. He was able to-”

“I know what he did.” The girl snapped. “Just..” a sigh, “Whatever, let's just go, the suns going to set in a few hours.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Shut _up_.”

Yang listened to their footsteps until she couldn't hear them anymore. She kept quiet though, knowing Blake was still listening, making sure they made it far enough away.

After about ten minutes, Blake turned to look at Yang. “We can't say here.”

“Hey, wait, who were those guys. They said they were after me, what if they were a search party? Shouldn't I have gone with them?” Yang just wanted an explanation. She felt like she was missing something. A _big_ something. Like she was reading a book with a lot of missing chapters.

“No, those people aren't here to help you. They’re dangerous.”

“But-”

“I can't explain yet, not here. We need to get to safety first. Then I'll answer your questions like I promised.” Blake stood up offering her hand to Yang. “Trust me.”

Yang looked at Blakes hand, then her face. Yang nodded, grabbing Blakes hand which pulled her up to her feet. 

A breath, “Ok.”

________________

The sun was setting. Blake and Yang sat up in another tree, on another branch, next to yet another makeshift cot. Yang should start keeping a tally.

Yang was sitting with her legs crossed in front of her, back facing the trunk of the tree and Blake was sitting further down on the branch, legs dangling over the edge and leaning back on her hands. Her head was tilted back, looking at the branches above them, watching the sky get darker by the second. 

“So,” Blake started, tilting her head to look at Yang. “What do you want to know first?”

Yang straightened her spine. “Who were those people coming after us today?”

“Hunters.” Blake didn’t elaborate. Yang rolled her eyes.

“And who are they?”

Blake sighed, “They are a group of highly trained warriors and trackers. They have been working for the SLC for as long as I can remember. Think of them as like a type of mercenary. Jacque Schnee pays them to do his dirty work. ”

Yang's eyebrows furrowed. “The Schnee Logging Company hired those people? How many are there?”

“A lot. More than the forest is comfortable with.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are they after me?”

Blake thought for a second. “My guess is that they didn't find your body so Schnee sent them to find you so they could get information about you and about how you survived this long. No one survives in this jungle on their own. Especially outsiders.”

“Are you saying that if you hadn't found me, if the forest did not allow me to be here, I’d be dead?”

“Yes.” Blake said simply.

“Oh, good.” Yang said, just a smidge startled by this information. “And… they're after you too?”

“My family, but yes.”

“Why?”

Blake sighed patiently. It really was like talking to a child with Yang. She brought her feet up to turn her body towards Yang. 

“Because we, as guardians, are the only thing standing between the forest and the SLC. Without us stopping their machines and workers, this forest would be run flat by them. We can't let that happen.” 

Yang hummed thoughtfully. “Don’t… take this the wrong way, but what makes this forest so special. Why do you protect it? Why would you lay down your life for it?”

Blake shrugged easily, “Because it would do the same for me. Yes, this jungle has valuable resources, both in its trees and under its dirt. However, that's not what makes it special.” 

Blakes ears flicked on top of her head as she looked off to Yang's left and smiled. 

“It's ok, you can come out.” She said, speaking into the darkness. Yang glanced that way and willed herself not to fall off the branch at what she saw. Yellow eyes watching her a few feet to her left.

Slowly, a panther made its way out of the shadows and onto the branch, making its way to Blake, its flank brushing Yang's side as it walked by. Yang recognized it as the same panther from before.

When it reached Blake, she reached out her hand to scratch behind the panther's ear. A low rumble came from the panther as it pushed its forehead into Blakes chest.

Yang was watching with wide eyes, “Is she… purring?”

Blake chuckled, as if she _wasn’t_ just casually petting the jungle's most deadly animal, and said, “Yes, she's quite the softy, once you get to know her.” Blake continued to scratch the panther's head as it laid down in front of them. 

They were quiet for a few minutes. Blake contently petting the dangerous animal, while Yang watched, speechless.

“This forest is alive. Both literally and figuratively. It holds many lives within its trees. Every plant and animal here deserves a safe place, free of tragedy and destruction. Just like you and I do. To be responsible for many lives… it's not a burden, but it is a heavy weight for one to carry on their own. The forest and the guardians bear that weight together, equally. You can’t have one without the other, or the whole forest will fall.”

Yang was entranced. The other girl spoke so surly about everything she was saying. Spoke with determination she'd never seen before. She realized she liked listening to Blake speak about this. She could _feel_ the other girl's passion rolling off her in waves. It was intoxicating.

“Companies like the SLC seem to disagree though.” Blake continued, still stroking the panthers fur. “They think that just because they are human, their lives mean more. That the lives in this forest somehow mean less compared to their own. That just because they have technology and civilization, it gives them the right to destroy our home, at the benefit of theirs.” 

Yang didn’t know why she felt guilty. She felt the need to apologize, but held it back. “So, Jacque Schnee sends these people, the Hunters, after you so they can cut down more of the forest?”

Blake nodded.

“What are they supposed to do, capture you? Keep you in a cage?” Yang asked, getting a little pissed.

“No,” Blake said, looking at Yang through her mask, “they are supposed to kill us. In Schnees eyes, we are too dangerous to be kept alive.”

That information slapped Yang right in the face. Kill them? In what world was that fair? Blake must've seen Yang seething because she changed the topic. 

“Ask me something else.”

Yang took a deep breath, calming herself down. “The Hunter from before mentioned someone named ‘Taurus,’ that guy seems pretty important to Jacque. Who is he?”

Blakes hand had stilled on the panther, her whole body locked up before she took a deep breath and continued petting the big creature. Yang noticed her hand had a slight tremor. When she spoke however, her voice was steady. 

“His name is Adam, Adam Taurus. He is one of the most highly ranked Hunters Schnee has hired. He is greatly skilled in combat and battle strategy. He is one of the only humans who can move just as silently through the forest as we can. It is very hard to track him.”

_Well,_ Yang thought, _that's more than a little terrifying._

“The Hunter said something about how Adam gave them a pretty big win a couple years ago. What was-” She was cut off.

“A story for another time.” Blake said, not looking at Yang. In fact, she had become very focused on the movements of her hand. Yang knew then there was definitely more to that story, but dropped it for now. Blake obviously wasn't ready yet.

After a few minutes of quiet, Yang scooched herself over to Blake, the panther laid lazily between them. Yang lifted her hand hesitantly, hovering it over the mass of black fur. 

“Can I..?”

Blake gave her a small smile, “Yes, she won't mind.” 

Yang gently laid her hand on the panther's rib cage. She could feel her powerful heartbeat beneath her fingertips. It was... an incredible feeling. Even though this panther could most definitely kill Yang with one well-aimed strike, she wasn't afraid of it. She couldn't explain it but she felt almost safer with it around. Yang guessed that that probably had something to do with the “forest communicating with energy” thing. Yang wasn't going to complain.

Blake broke the silence. “I know you've been wanting to ask me something else. You can ask it, I won't lie to you.” Her voice was soft. 

Yang looked up at Blake. She was hard to read under that mask, but Yang saw hints of worry in her features.

Pulling up her legs, Yang rested her chin on her knees. “What are those statues that are scattered throughout the jungle? I’ve only seen a few but...” Yang trailed off not knowing how to continue.

“Yang I…” Blake turned her head to look away. “I don't want you to think of me differently.” Her voice was quiet. 

Yang reached out to turn the other girls head back, fingers ghosting over her chin. “It's ok, I trust you.” Yang found that she couldn't speak above a whisper either. Blake was about to drop something big, she could feel it.

Blake took a breath and pulled her hand away from the panther and away from Yang, who dropped her arm back to her side. “My family and I… we are responsible for those statues.”

Yang was confused. “What do you mean?”

“You know how I told you the forest gave my ancestors the ability to hear and see better than humans in order to keep balance?”

Yang nodded.

“That's not the only thing it granted us with.” When Yang didn't say anything she shifted in her seat and continued. “Those statues. They used to be human. They were Hunters, murders, or thieves.”

“I don't understand.” Yang said, a little distraught. “Just tell me what you're trying to say, please.” 

“My family and I can turn people into stone.” Blake blurted out, a little more loudly than she intended.

Yang didn't know what she expected the other girl to say but it definitely wasn't that. She sat there, staring at Blake, mouth open in shock. She probably looked like a gaping fish. 

When she didn’t do anything, Blake wildly rushed to explain herself. 

“It’s- I mean- It's something we use only when absolutely necessary. We don't do it if we don't have to, I don't even _like_ doing it, it's just a tool that the forest gifted us with and I-”

“Stop.”

Blake sealed her lips and shrunk away from Yang, waiting for her to snap and call her a monster or an _animal_. Blakes body tensed up, old habits screaming at her to run away.

“Blake look at me.”

She did, slowly. When she looked up at Yang, the other girl didn't look scared or angry, just confused.

“That's.. a lot to take in. I promise I won't get mad or leave, I just need you to explain.”

Blake nodded, took a deep breath, and tried again.

“The forest, along with enhanced hearing and seeing, gave us another gift. You see, enhanced hearing and vision are great abilities, but they are made to be used as a defensive tactic. They are not offensive traits.” Blake gauged Yang's reaction, and continued. “To balance it out the forest gifted us with an offensive tool. Something that would help us actually stand our ground against trained enemies, not just evade and avoid them.” 

Blake took a second to gather herself. “W-We can turn people into stone. I don't.. know exactly how it works, but I know how to use it if I need to.”

Yang leaned back resting on her hands, looking up towards the treetops. She was deep in thought. How was this even possible? How can an ability like this be real? She knew for a fact it had to be true though, she saw the evidence right in front of her a few hours back. She knows now why those statues had put her on edge before. They were humans, turned to solid rock. Yang felt a little sick.

She looked back to Blake who was nervously playing with her own fingers. “You said you only use it when necessary?” Blake nodded. “When is it necessary?” 

“We will only go for the killing strike if we know the enemy will do the same. We don't like hurting other people, but sometimes it's necessary when protecting lives. Our own and the lives that live in this jungle.”

“Huh.” Yang said, she wanted to write this all down in her notebook, but she didn't even think she could articulate it just yet. She definitely needs to sit on it for a couple days.

“I’ll uh.. give you some time.” Blake said, getting up to her feet quickly, ready to go hide further up the tree. When she stood the panther perked her head up too, as if asking where she was going. Yang snapped her head to the other girl and shot out her hand to stop her from leaving. Her hand was wrapped loosely around the other girls wrist, giving Blake the option to pull away if she wanted. 

“Woah, hey, where are you going?” Yang asked. Blake's body language told her she was ready to bolt. It was tense and guarded.

“I don't think I can talk about this anymore right now.” Blake said in a hushed voice. She was still turned away, but not pulling from Yang's grip either.

“Just sit with me.” Yang sounded a little desperate, even to her own ears. “Don’t run away, just sit. We don't have to talk about it anymore.” Yang didn't want to go back to square one with Blake, and if she ran now all the progress they made would go down the drain. 

While Yang still had many questions about the bomb that Blake just dropped, she didn't think either of them could handle talking about it anymore that night. What Blake told her was shocking for sure, but she found that it didn't change what she thought of the other girl. That realization in itself was a little surprising too. 

She decided to voice her thoughts. “This doesn't change the way I see you. I promise. Like I said, it's just a lot to take in right now but… I still trust you Blake.”

Yang saw Blakes shoulders relax a little as she turned back around. Yang let go of her wrist to allow the other girl to sit again. She looked tired. 

Yang laid herself down in the space next to the cot. She patted the spot next to her, encouraging Blake to do the same on the tiny bed. Blake hesitated for a second before giving in. It had been an emotionally draining day. She was ready to sleep. She laid on her back. Staring up through her mask at the sky. They laid together in comfortable silence for a while.

Yang then sat up on one elbow, looking down at the other girl as she looked back. Slowly, Yang raised her hand and rested it on the side of Blakes mask that covered her eyes, thumbing the edge, asking a silent question. After a few moments, Yang thought Blake was going to let her do it, until a hand came up to cover her own. 

Blake spoke quietly, “I'm not ready.” Blakes thumb rubbed the back of Yang's hand once before she let go and turned her body to lay on her side, facing away from Yang. “I'm sorry.”

Yang stared at the back of the other girl's head. Something formed in her stomach, Yang recognized the feeling as fondness. 

“It's ok, just get some rest.” 

Yang looked towards their feet to see the panther already fast asleep on the branch. Yang smiled at the sight and laid back down. She closed her eyes. The noise of the forest combined with the warm body laying next to her made her eyes heavy. 

Right before she was pulled into the depths of dreamland she heard Blake's voice, speaking softly. 

“Thank you, Yang.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry I always end chapters with them going to sleep lol. anyways this chapter was just bees feat. emerald and mercury. let me know what you think! :)


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